BY DAN VALENTI

PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY

(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE MONDAY, JUNE 4, 2018) — We lip-service freedom, but we as a nation no longer want it. The American people find it too scary. Freedom’s flip side of the coin, personal responsibility, asks too much of a people gone intellectually soft, ethically lost, and made busy in the extreme by the blitz of a time crunch caused by boredom and fueled by technology, primarily, social media, which is, primarily, the domain of the young.

In case anyone needs reminding, and we suspect there be more than a few, America possesses a Bill of Rights.

Stop the presses!

The First Amendment inscribes our sacred, inherent, individual freedoms into constitutional language. Words can find no more permanent, meaningful, or — we hope — valued place than in the most important founding document of the United States. Too bad, though. We no longer want freedom.

THE PLANET could write prose poems on the “why” of it. We would mention how The Founders mortared the bricks of this republic’s rough-and-tumble of this upon freedom of speech and a free press, then articulating by allowing the vigorous-to-vicious tone of the rousing debates throughout our history from the Thomas Paine beginnings to the Gore Vidal middle ages. THE PLANET would then mention the 180 we did as a country after “winning” World War II. For the first time ever, America didn’t return to a peacetime economy. The money was too big for the then-nascent military-industrial complex. As a solution, they implemented Big Government, the national security machine, and the police state, using the Constitution as wiping paper. Iron, however, makes a lousy toilet article. It appeared freedom would have a chance in the Information Age.

Enter Sept. 11, 2001 to seal our fate.

This contextual preamble must be given to appreciate the most ridiculous “news” story DOMINATING this country’s attention. C’mon down, Roseanne Barr.

THE PLANET doesn’t have to run the facts of the case. You know then only too well. We will, though, come to Barr’s defense as strongly as we can, with a passion we reserve only for special cases, such as the time the courts dragged us into a Star Chamber for our investigative reporting on a hit-and-run accident that local Big Shots tried to cover up because the driver was one of Their daughters. THE PLANET fought the case and won, winning a precedent-setting victory for free speech and free press with respect to bloggers and online journalism. That’s where we come from, end preposition or no.

Barr, a comedienne and actress, told a lousy joke that bombed bigger than Little Boy and Fat Man. For that, ABC pulled her show, putting hundreds out of business and sacrificing the hottest property on the tube. Holier-than-thou types praised the network for its “principles.” We heap scorn on ABC for its cowardice. That the network would pull the plug on its most lucrative property illustrates not nobility winning over greed but its fear level with respect to the forces of censorship, thought control, and political correctness that have swept over a sleeping nation like a Toyo tsunami overwhelming a balsawood village.

Barr’s told a joke — a bad one, true; one in bad taste, true. But in the end, the hysterics have lost sight of two salient points:

(1) She’s a comedian. You can’t hold her words to diplomatic standards.

(2) She’s protected by the Bill of Rights. Barr should be able to say what she did and not pay for it with her career. The Bill is strong enough to withstand even the most outrageous speech and writing. The more vile the communication, the stronger the Bill and the more this nation can enjoy protection from the totalitarian forces that have destroyed others, forces that characterize to with hunts of the far left.

THE PLANET has never been a fan of Barr, going back to her days as a standup comic. She did the kind of “housewife humor” pioneered by Totie Fields and Joan Rivers. Women found it funny. We preferred Rickles and Dangerfield. We didn’t like her version of the National Anthem and we never watched her TV show, not in the first version or its recent reincarnation. We did admire her fearlessness back in her standup days and the cleverness of her material. It’s one of the hardest things to do to get up on stage alone with a mic and have to make people laugh. We know. We tried it back in the day. We loved how she pushed rhetorical boundaries to their limits, because we knew the rights protected by the First Amendment could not be overstepped.

That, alas, was long ago in a galaxy far away.

Barr told a joke. The self-righteous ideologues executed her in cold blood. Some freedom.

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109 Responses to “IN VIGOROUS DEFENSE OF ROSEANNE BARR AND THE BILL OF RIGHTS”

We have a fascist / neo-nazi U.S. President named Donald Trump who uses racism and hate speech to tear people down and build himself up. I would hate to think that Trump could be justified or rationalized because of Freedom of Speech and the Bill of Rights. In fact, Trump and his white nationalist brand of politics represents everything our nation stands against! We must resist Trump and stand up to his fascism, neo-nazi beliefs, and hate speech. That is what our country is about: Liberty and Justice for ALL!
– Jonathan Melle

I would like somebody to message the exact quote on this board and the the rest of us can comment on the funny part of what Roseannes thoughts here.The bottom line is that one of the most well know actresses in this country publicly through her own ignorance thought what she said was funny to white people.She was not wrong and some white people think it was funny.She has not apologized.She did say Ambian made her do it because in the end she knows herself it was a unfunny racist comment.

Are you too stupid to use Google?
In a statement Barr acknowledged as her own, she said: “I deeply regret my comments from late last night on Twitter. Above all, I want to apologize to Valerie Jarrett, as well as to ABC and the cast and crew of the Roseanne show. I am sorry for making a thoughtless joke that does not reflect my values – I love all people and am very sorry. Today my words caused hundreds of hardworking people to lose their jobs. I also sincerely apologize to the audience that has embraced my work for decades. I apologize from the bottom of my heart and hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me.”

There was not a damn thing funny about her remark. It was racist and ignorant. This Country has a moral break down like no other. The division is widening because of this racist bigoted attitude by those who power up on the rest. It’s sickening.

And while what Smantha said was rude to some it was also accurate. Ivanka is a senior adviser to the president and has done nothing but work on her own financial advancement. She has used her fathers power to gain entrance to markets in China and Saudi Arabia that other people never could get into. She flaunts her wealth while talking to the commoners. Now that is disgusting and rude and I don’t know why she has been given any role in our government.

There is no evidence that Ivanka is using her connections in government to increase her own wealth. She is already wealthy. The Clintons, on the other hand, have done everything to increase their wealth through many underhanded schemes using their political clout. They have been protected every step of the way by their powerful friends in government.

Like I said, its a “F YOU” apology because her racism hurt her finally. She is not contrite in the least. Wait for the news cycle to spin her out of the way and she will be back at peddling her conspiracy theories.

I think Barry made the salient point. Her speech is protected but not her employment. If ABC’s cancellation is a breach of her contract she can take it up in court, and I’m sure that liability was priced in to ABC’s decision.

Hollywood protects its own so it knows it can get away with any negative comments made toward conservative women even though they are supposedly so SENSITIVE NOW towards any kind of disrespect toward women.

Weinstein’s abuse of women for many, many years was a big open joke on Hollywood with nobody speaking out and even joking about it at awards shows. Now that they are all in bed with the Democrats, they have suddenly seen the light, but the true Hollywood personalities emerge as with Samantha Bee and shows they have no real interest in being sensitive toward women. They have selective outrage depending on who is involved.

I’m not interested in adjudicating anyone’s tweets. That could go on all day. I’m disagreeing with Dan’s statement “Barr should be able to say what she did and not pay for it with her career.” Says who? ABC can do what they want with their programming. That’s a right they absolutely do have.

I never said one way or the other whether any show should or shouldn’t have been cancelled. What I said was it was ABC’s right to cancel the show. It is also TBS’s right to do the same with Sam Bee. They chose not too.

BARRY
Of course, an employer has the right to terminate an employee, with just cause. Let me ask you, then: Do you think the show should have been canceled? Barr did not tweet as an ABC employee or on their time. She did it as a private citizen. However tasteless the joke — and a proper perspective of humor’s history shows us that the joke was relatively mild — at what point does an employer improperly act in firing?

The big picture is the political climate in this country. The left has taken over the media and television networks and they all have to follow that political agenda. This is why what they like and approve of is allowed even if it’s terrible, while other bad remarks are punished. A political party should not be in control to this degree even if people agree at times with the decisions being made. That doesn’t change the fact that this is giving one political agenda too much power. Government should not be involved to this degree in social issues.

MIKE
Says me.
ABC can do what it wants with its programming. True enough. Keep in mind, though, that Barr had delivered them a smash hit. They would have no cause to rationally cancel the show, if for nothing else than for the good of shareholders and the company. They pulled the plug, though, because of fear. Or do you believe your employer should be able to fire you for constitutionally protected comments you make outside of work, that have nothing to do with work? If you say yes, than you have just agreed to totalitarianism. Goodbye constitution, hello 1984.

BARRY
Fair enough. I grant, it would be a tough call. I would not have fired her based on my view of the Bill of Rights. I like it when it’s pushed to the limits. Only that gauge shows its true strength. I agree that the network had the right to fire her (assuming there were no contractual obstacles), but she’s an actress and comedienne.
She told a bad-taste joke over the worst possible medium for conveying humor ever invented, one that allows for no irony and makes comedic exaggeration literal, especially the millennials and younger, who grew up with the infernality of social media and seem incapable of escaping literalism. That’s the true danger here — not that a show was cancelled but that the overreaction to words not meant to be literal were taken that way. Play this climate out ten years from now: Rhetorical absolutism.

Should employers be able to fire over social media comments? Yes. But the Roseanne case is very different than the average Joe. As a celebrity her statements are widely read and have the ability to damage the brand of the network and also damage its ability to retain clients (advertisers). You ascribe the motive to be fear. Well maybe it was more like “despite her show’s ratings Roseanne’s BS just isn’t worth it anymore”.

Yes, employers can and should have the right to dismiss employees over social media remarks. In fact, too many young people are being burned by their online histories when employers perform due-diligence investigations. Barr IS different because of her celebrity and following, but the brand of the network comes from the content of the show itself. Astonishingly, however, the darlings of social media have become incapable of distinguishing between a fiction and fact, a character Roseanne Connor, and the actress portraying the character. Your last sentence probably sums up the network’s attitude as accurately as we on the outside can truly know.

BC, you condemned her only because it happened in the same time frame as Rosanne’s stupid comments. I don’t see liberals getting bent out of shape by the stupid hateful statements frequently made by other liberals.

1st amendment does not apply to the workplace. That’s why the NFL can make players either stand for the anthem or remain in the locker room, and I could get fired if I say the wrong thing at work. 1st amendment applies to actions by the gov’t, not the private sector.

A lot of white people have a low opinion of blacks and avoid associating with them, so taking a principled stand against a tweet is an easy way to show how non-racist they are. Roseanne thought she was disparaging someone above her, but everyone rushes to defend the poor little black slave girl, though she is mostly white, from an upper-class family, and part of the political elite

What?!? I have no idea of the point you are trying to make, but if I am interpreting correctly you are being even more racist than Roseanne.

And I echo Barry’s comment above. She was not arrested, nor stopped from saying it, she was fired. She exercised her 1st amendment rights, which were protected, and ABC exercised ther right under their contract presumably, to can her.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

I don’t think Rosanne broke any laws with her racist tweet.

Calling it a “bad joke” normalizes racism, also, It is obvious she was not trying to “tell a joke”, she was opining about a conspiracy theory. Rosanne Barr is a known racist and attention whore. The behavior is nothing new and you’re an idiot if she surprises you.

A 7 to 6 ruling would be a narrow victory. 7 to 2 is very decisive. Just more trying to pull the wool over our eyes by the liberal media. This is a very positive ruling for religious beliefs. The left taking over the media is the real problem for our country and is the real danger to free speech.

The UK is a very scary place right now and will only get worse. They are cracking down on free speech. The story about the grooming gangs that were allowed to get out of control in the UK and raped thousands of young girls is a huge tragedy. This article by Douglas Murrray who also wrote the great book “The Strange Death of Europe” explains the situation there now.

Dan, Roseanne herself asked that no one defend her indefensible actions. You should have heeded her words.
Barr tweeted: “hey guys, don’t defend me, it’s sweet of you 2 try, but…losing my show is 0 compared 2 being labelled a racist over one tweet-that I regret even more.”
Was her tweet indefensible? Yes.
Should she have been fired? You bet.

NIB
Thank you for your contribution.
She asked for no defense not because it was indefensible but because she knew the futility of a defence in this politically charged times, where rational discussion of issues such as race, gender, and the like are not possible. Tweet indefensible? No. THE PLANET just did.

There was a time that when we all heard the N word we would laugh ,join in or uncomfortable say nothing and we have made little progress but just enough to make racist ignorant comments ok to some degree because now we soften the blow of the comment by saying it deserves a conversation.A racist comment can stand alone on its merits and it does not need a debateabout weather the media makes the statement hateful.

The left controlled media saying Melania Trump is missing from public view either because she is so depressed or, get this, President Trump is physically abusing her. Melania was in the hospital for a kidney issue and may have been resting for a while. Who can blame her for that? Well, apparently the liberal media can. They are going all out now and will be for the next few months to put down this president in preparation for the November election. Trust very little of what you read.

Dan V. I agree with you about the free speech issue, but I think the problem is the left being in control of the media with only a few exceptions such as FOX news. This control of the media is the real danger to this country and free speech.

It should be interesting when the first part of the DOJ IG report comes out this week. The hammer is about to drop on the corrupt Obama admin….. In other BREAKING NEWS: Attorney General Sessions Announces 311 New Assistant United States Attorney Positions, Largest Increase In Decades…Uh Oh! Jeff Sessions nick-name in Alabama was “the silent executioner” hmmmm could POTUS spats with him all been a ruse….Dems in deep do do.

What bothers me is they are purposely lying and making things up for purely political reasons so it’s not journalism it’s propaganda. BTW, you can thank President Reagan for this – he’s the one who vetoed the Fairness Doctrine. Alot of conservatives thought he was a great president but apart from being strong on foreign policy he was a pretty bad prez.

What’s wrong about making a ape comment? I know of many instances where white people were called various simean names. But if a black person is called a simean name liberals go ape. Maybe they are the ones who posses the negative association.

The middle class, companies, and others are fleeing California in droves due to the socialist policies of high taxes and a state that is full of illegal immigrants and a sanctuary city policy that encourages drug kingpins and MS-13 and others to come to that state.

then why is their unemployment rate higher than the national average? And why are they the welfare capital of the US – California, with 12% of the American population, is home today to about one in three of the nation’s welfare recipients.
Their economy lies in the hands of a very small % of wealthy people. You know, like entertainers. So they are a state of the very rich and the very poor. Isn’t it ironic that income disparity, which Dems say they are against, is the largest in a liberal state?

Good for Trump in cancelling the Eagles team visit to the WH. As an Eagles fan, I am disappointed at the lack of team discipline, and I certainly won’t be buying any tickets or merchandise in the near future. These NFL players seem to think their job is to showcase their individual political views. Their team was invited to be honored at the White House, and I repeat, TEAM – so why were many players allowed to opt out? Despicable!

Trump cancelled to save his embarrassed ass. Only a couple of the players were going to drag themselves to the white house anyway and that would have made Trump look like the fool he is.

I whole heartedly respect these guys for going with their conscientious. The whole republican congress is too intimidated by Trump to save their own country but these guys stood their ground. True Americans unlike the wimps that are supposed to be a separate branch of government.

Barr filed with the Federal Election Commission as a Green Party presidential candidate in January 2012. She formally announced her candidacy for the party’s presidential nomination on February 2. On July 14, she came in second, losing the nomination to Jill Stein.

Clarence Fanto fails to report that Mary A. Berle of Stockbridge is daughter of Norman Rockwell Museum emeritus trustee Lila W. Berle, and sister of present Museum trustee Dolf Berle.
Are not these facts relevant to Mary Berle’s appointment and why has Fanto omitted these facts from his reportage?

Yes. These are relevant facts. Either Fanto didn’t know of the relationships or he omitted them. Both are unacceptable to THE PLANET’s editorial mind. The first we would find unlikely. The second we would not have allowed.

and when pertinent facts are omitted it stops being journalism and becomes propaganda.
Our founding fathers wanted freedom of speech and the press protected so that the truth would not be oppressed. If they could see what the press and free speech has become today they would roll over in their graves.

Big overtime scandal going on with the State Police. Wish I could retire with a big fat pension after working phantom overtime hours and ripping off taxpayers. Just another reason the pension system needs to be replaced with a 401k program.

The five newest Massachusetts State Police troopers accused of overtime abuse filed paperwork to retire.
Massachusetts State Police spokesman David Procopio confirmed to MassLive that the five troopers recently flagged because of “alleged discrepancies between overtime pay received and hours worked” filed paperwork to retire Monday.
A final audit of overtime shifts for Troop E in 2016 also identified seven more troopers who had a number of “overtime shifts, or partial shifts that warrant further investigation,” Procopio said.
These seven troopers will remain on active duty as an investigation continues. Procopio noted the seven troopers are separate from the five troopers announced last week.

NIB
That’s just the openers. State auditor has found that for decades, troopers have received TAX FREE daily stipends for driving their own cars to work. As for OT, can you spell “corruption?” The abuse in Pittsfield is beyond fair.